Jury Dismissed For Day In Trial Of Ventura County Teenager Accused Of Killing Classmate In Hate Crime

Posted on Monday, August 29, 2011 3:59pm

There’s no verdict yet in the trial of a Ventura County teenager accused of killing a classmate in what prosecutors call a hate crime.

Jurors deliberated for about two hours today in the trial of Brandon McInerney, who accused of first degree murder, with a hate crime allegation for the Feburary, 2008 slaying of Larry King.

The jury was dismissed early because this was the first day of school for a juror who is a college student.

Plans call for a full day of deliberations tomorrow, and if there’s still no verdict, a short day on Wednesday, to again accommodate the student during the first week of classes.

The case went to the jury Friday afternoon.

McInerney is accused of killing King because he was gay. Prosecutors tried to show that the 17-year-old was a white supremacist. Defense attorneys admit McInerney killed King, but say it was because he was being sexually harassed by King, who sometimes dressed in female clothing, and work makeup to school in Oxnard.